Five lives lost in Gaza border explosion during protest

GAZA: Five Palestinians lost their lives on Wednesday near the Israel-Gaza border due to what Palestinian officials believe to be an accidental detonation of an explosive device.

According to Aljazeera, incident occurred as protests along the volatile border have increased following several months of relative calm.

A group of Gaza youth staged a demonstration along the border in solidarity with Palestinians incarcerated in Israel. A coalition of Palestinian factions asserted that the explosion was the result of a device that some of the demonstrators had intended to utilise during the protest.

The Israeli military, on the other hand, issued a statement claiming that the protesters had attempted to throw the device at its soldiers across the border. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the incident resulted in the tragic deaths of five individuals.

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Witnesses have reported that an explosion in Gaza occurred when a Palestinian Explosives Engineering Unit attempted to defuse an explosive device, alleging that Israeli forces opened fire, preventing their escape from the ensuing blast.

Meanwhile, the narrative contradicts the Israeli army’s statement, which absolved itself of any involvement and claimed that demonstrators were attempting to hurl a bomb over a fence when the explosion took place.

Eyewitnesses detailed the incident to local media, shedding light on a deeply contentious event in the region. According to these witnesses, Israeli forces prevented the Palestinian Explosives Engineering Unit from leaving the scene before the explosion occurred.

To substantiate their version of events, the Israeli army released aerial video footage depicting the explosion along the fence. The footage showed debris flying into the air, prompting several individuals to flee the area.

Earlier in the day, participants in the demonstration had gathered, proudly waving Palestinian flags and setting tires ablaze to commemorate the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Despite Israel’s repeated airstrikes on the besieged enclave in the past, it firmly denied any involvement in the explosion.

Suhail al-Hindi, a prominent leader of the Palestinian political and militant organization Hamas, seized the opportunity to laud what he described as “the end of this cruel Israeli occupation from Gaza.”